


Creature Comforts

by A Magiluna Stormwriter (ariestess)



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-18
Updated: 2014-10-18
Packaged: 2018-02-21 17:19:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2476160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariestess/pseuds/A%20Magiluna%20Stormwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a particularly emotional case, JJ needs the comfort that can only come from Emily's apartment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Creature Comforts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sigridhr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sigridhr/gifts).



> Date Written: 18-22 October 2014  
> Word Count: 2139  
> Written for: femslashex 2014  
> Recipient: Sigridhr  
> Summary: After a particularly emotional case, JJ needs the comfort that can only come from Emily's apartment.  
> Spoilers: Canon divergence from the end of ep 07x02 "Proof".  
> Warnings: No standard warnings apply.  
> Website: ShatterStorm Productions – Frisked & Conquered  
> Link to: http://f-n-c.shatterstorm.net/   
> Archive: ShatterStorm Productions only…all others ask for permission & we'll see…
> 
> Author’s Disclaimer: "Criminal Minds", the characters, and situations depicted are the property of CBS Productions, Touchstone Television, The Mark Gordon Company, and ABC Studios. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. This site is in no way affiliated with "Criminal Minds", CBS, or any representative of the actors.
> 
> Author’s Notes: I jumped at the opportunity to do this pinch hit because it allowed me the chance to write for Emily and JJ again. Amusingly enough, just days before I'd first gotten the pinch hit, I happened to catch this particular episode of the show and was clearly watching it with my femslash goggles on. Then, just a few days before I actually started writing it, I saw it again [yay for CM playing on so many cable channels] and caught the look shared between Emily and JJ after Spencer yells at JJ for keeping Emily's faked death a secret. I created a whole backstory for this in which Emily and JJ got together before Emily went undercover and faked her death, but worked it out that for appearances and for Henry's sake, JJ stayed with Will. Perhaps one day the rest of that info will get written, I'm not sure yet.
> 
> Dedication: My muses, as always…
> 
> Beta: Shatterpath, but all remaining errors can be chalked up to my stubbornness…

The buzz startles me from a relaxing soak in the tub. Pausing my music as I see the caller's name, I set my wine glass aside to answer it.

"Jayj? Please don't tell me we've already got a new case." For a long moment, I can't hear anything but muffled sniffles on the other end of the line. "JJ?"

"I-- Hi," she says softly, voice thick with tears.

Sitting up, I pull the plug to drain the tub. Bath time's definitely over now. "Hi yourself. Are you okay?"

"Can-- Can I come over? If you're busy, it's okay. I just--" She sighs heavily, followed by a snuffling sound. "I just really need to see you right now."

"What about Henry?"

"Will's got him tonight. I would've held it together better if they were here."

I nod as I stand and reach for a towel, belatedly realizing she can't see it. "Yeah, you can come over. You okay to drive? I mean, I've had a glass or two of wine, but I should still be able to come to you if that's easier?"

"No, it's okay." She lets out a strangled laugh. "If I have to, I'll call a cab. I just-- I can't be here right now."

"Okay, honey. Sergio and I will be here. Have you eaten yet? I can put something together while you're on your way over. Just something light. Maybe a chicken salad and a bottle of merlot?"

"I'm not really hungry, but the merlot sounds good right now."

"All right. If you change your mind on the food, we'll deal with that when you get here, okay?"

"Okay. Um, thank you, Em. You have no idea--"

Smiling, I cut her off. "Yes, I do. I'll see you in a little bit, okay? Just use your key to come in."

*****

Sergio suddenly gets up and pads his way to the door, meowing in a way that he only does for one person in the world. And it's not me. This makes me grin because it means she's in the building, probably just stepping out of the elevator. He races back to rub against my shin, purring like a diesel engine, before going back to sit in front of the door.

"Yes, handsome, I know. Your girlfriend's coming, isn't she? Are you gonna make sure she feels better tonight? She sounded pretty upset on the phone."

He meows again, not even looking at me as he starts to pace in front of the door. How sad is it that I'm considering doing the same thing? The pacing, not the meowing. His cries grow louder as we hear the key turning in the lock. And then the door opens to reveal the person we've both been waiting to see for nearly half an hour.

She steps into the hallway and closes the door behind her, automatically locking it. Setting her purse on the table, she kneels down to scoop Sergio up into her arms. It allows me the opportunity to study her, try to figure out what's wrong. Her eyes are puffy and red from crying; her hair's pulled back in a sloppy ponytail; and she's wearing clean, but wrinkled sweats with a worn baseball shirt and a hoodie. And then I notice the straps of the small backpack. Good. If she's this upset, she'll just stay here tonight. The wine will help to loosen her up enough to actually sleep.

Finally meeting my gaze, JJ smiles sheepishly, still cradling Sergio close. "Hi."

"Hi," I reply, moving over to press a gentle kiss to her cheek. "Your boyfriend got to you first again, I see."

She lets out a soft, embarrassed laugh, leaning into my side for a moment. "Well, I told you not to let me take him in while you went undercover." And with that statement, tears glisten in her eyes.

"Come on, honey, let's go settle on the couch and talk."

JJ nods and sets Sergio down, then slips off her backpack. "I hope it's okay that I brought this. Will took Henry and I just didn't want to be alone tonight."

When I nod, her smile grows a little brighter, then she follows me into the living room. "Park your butt while I get the wine and some cheese and crackers. Just a little something to nibble on until your hunger kicks in."

She does as I say, laughing softly as Sergio leaps up to lay claim to her lap. I grab the plate and wine from the fridge, then two glasses, and head into the living room to settle next to her. By this time, my fluffy white traitor of a cat is sitting her in her lap, front paws stretched up to knead gently over her heart as he headbutts at her chin. Her finger work their way through his fur, and I can see that the familiar ritual is going to great lengths to calm her already.

"I'd say I hate you for your ladies' man ways, Sergio, but you _do_ find all the best ways to make someone feel better. And your girlfriend here is definitely in need of your special talents, isn't she?"

I don't press any further, turning away to pour the wine into both glasses before handing her one. Turning to face her, I tuck one leg up underneath my body. She takes a sip as Sergio dutifully moves to curl up in her lap, purring happily.

"This is exactly what I needed. I haven't been able to concentrate since we got back. I could set it aside when the case was still active, but afterward?" She shakes her head and takes another sip of wine.

Without thought, I reach over to stroke her cheek gently. Gratitude swells in my chest as she leans into my touch, eyes fluttering shut with a soft sigh. My hand cups the side of her head, thumb moving back and forth across her cheekbone.

"You don't have to talk until you're ready, but I'd really like to help ease the burden that's got you so stressed right now."

We sit there quietly for a few minutes, Sergio's purring the only non-ambient noise in the room. JJ continues to sip at her wine, leaning into my hand. Setting my own glass on the table, I shift to rub a thumb gently over the frown lines between her brows. It takes a few strokes before she relaxes enough to let those lines mostly disappear. Her eyes flutter shut and she moans softly. And then the tears start again.

"Why did he have to do that?" she whispers brokenly.

My first thoughts to go Will, and I see red. If he's gone back on the agreement we all made, I'll kill him.

"Do what, honey?"

She takes another drink of her wine, draining the glass. I take it from her as she wipes at her cheeks, setting it on the table by mine, then pull her into a gentle embrace. Sergio grumbles at being jostled and moves to stretch out next to JJ's thigh instead. The fact that she's now clinging so tightly to me brings the protector in me to the forefront but before I can say anything else, she begins to talk.

"Why is he taking this out on me? He's not taking it out on Hotch or, if he is, he's not obvious about it. So why is it okay to treat me like shit?"

"Reid." A bit of my tension fades as I realize that it's not Will causing her such distress, but it's replaced by the tension that our teammate's been foisting on her unnecessarily. "Jayj, he's showing his age and being a selfish dick, to be honest."

"What?" She leans back to look at me, and I want nothing more than to kiss away the pain clouding her expressive eyes. "How do you--"

"You were under strict orders from your superiors not to say anything, regardless of how badly you may have wanted to tell everyone on the team. If he thinks it's okay for you to basically perjure yourself to make him feel better, he's an idiot." I force myself to take a deep breath. "The fact that he's going after you alone means he _knows_ that you didn't have a choice but wants you to feel bad so he can feel better about his own hurt feelings. That's bullshit and if he's not careful, he's going to find his face getting very intimately acquainted with my fist."

"To be fair, you didn't see how upset he was when he came over to the house in the first three months afterward, when he was grieving your death."

"No, but you explained it to me when we talked. Just like you kept me apprised of everyone's reactions. You knew I'd need to be prepared for any outcome if I was able to come back to the team. Hell, even Morgan and I have worked out our differences over this. Reid's being a child about this. What would he do if he knew about our relationship?"

She snorts softly at that. "The day he figures it out is going to be hell. And yes, it's a when, not an if. This is Spence, after all."

A half-smirk curls my lips up and I lean in to press a kiss to her forehead. "He spent way too many of his formative years with Gideon, that's for sure."

"Even Hotch will agree with you on that," she replies, curling into my side. "But that doesn't make this any easier on me. I mean, Spence and I go way back, too. He doesn't trust easily and he feels like I violated that."

"And he needs to understand what it was doing to you, too. If he doesn't, he'll learn to like knuckle sandwiches."

She splutters out a strangled laugh, taking my hand into hers before kissing my knuckles. "You'll do no such thing, Emily Prentiss. I like the way your knuckles look. And I've gotten used to Spencer's face looking like it does. If need be, I'll have Hotch talk to him about it. Just--" She shrugs and rests her head on my shoulder. "Can we just not even think about that for the rest of the night?"

"I think I can agree to that. Sergio, can you be a good boy and not bring it up tonight?" His disgruntled meow makes JJ laugh and relax against me a bit more. "Thanks, buddy. We want to make sure your girlfriend's happy tonight, don't we?"

Sergio grumbles again, jumping off the couch to stalk over to his tower, glowering at me from its highest perch. Yeah, somebody's not happy with me for ruining his alone time with his girlfriend. Somebody needs to learn how to share better. JJ leans forward as he leaves, refilling her glass, and snags a bunch of grapes. She takes her time settling against my side and offers me the bunch of grapes.

"You know, Will almost dropped me off when he took Henry to dinner tonight. I talked him out of it, figuring I could get this under control."

"You're trying to be Superwoman again, Jayj," I say, holding a grape to her lips. "You know you don't have to be strong like that for me, right? If you need me, you just say so. I'll be there in a heartbeat for you. You know that, right?"

She sucks the grape into her mouth, tongue flicking against my fingers. A soft sound escapes my lips, but I'm not even sure what it is, and my eyes flutter shut. She kisses each of my fingertips, then pulls back. The loss of contact has me opening my eyes to watch her chew and swallow with narrowed eyes.

"May I have another grape? I'm feeling rather famished and ready to eat _anything_."

"JJ, what are you doing?"

She's quiet for a minute or two, chewing at her bottom lip as her eyes get that vacant look of being deep in thought. When she blinks and smiles sheepishly, I can't stop myself from leaning forward to brush my lips lightly against hers.

"Will told me tell you what happened, get your opinion on it, and then spend the rest of the night being loved and doted on by my girl."

That makes me chuckle and pull her close again. "Well, far be it from me to ignore such good advice." Kissing her a bit more thoroughly, I can feel her relaxing against me. 

"I know we still need to talk about what to do about Spence," she says when we separate from the kiss, "but right now, I'd rather just feel your body next to mine. Take me to bed?"

"Honey, I thought you'd never ask."


End file.
